Pinto-Bean Mole Chili Reviews

With its notes of cumin, cinnamon, and chocolate playing off the gentle spice, this meatless chili combines the best parts of a mole sauce and a Cincinnati-style chili. Its rich body makes it a seriously satisfying dinner any night of the week.

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Reviews

While I'll concede that this didn't taste like any chili I've ever made in the past (I love chili and have made several varieties from all over the web, including vegetarian and meat chilis, some with lots of ingredients and others with fewer, and with different types of beans, including lentil chili), but that should have been indicated by the description (it's supposedly something between a cincinnati-style chili and a mole sauce), and I liked it. Not only that, but my husband (who loves his meat but has gradually come to accept that vegetarian meals can be just as good) loved it and had two or three bowls. We had it over white rice. I did use guajilos instead of ancho chilis because I could not find the latter. Guajilos are supposed to be slightly hotter but I found the result was still quite mild. The "chili powder" for this recipe seemed more authentic (my homemade version consists of cayenne, paprika, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder). So no, this wasn't missing anything, except maybe heat. For a cincinnati chili you might add something more like cloves or allspice, but this did have the basics, and was different due to the other ingredients. Oh yeah, since I didn't have any oranges (horror of horrors!) I ended up using a bit of frozen lemon zest plus a quarter cup of orange juice.

I hate to say it, but this is the worst chili recipe I've ever made. Followed it to the letter, and it was awful. The kale just doesn't work. And as others pointed out, there's something missing. That, plus it doesn't taste like "chili".

OK, but I doubt that I'll make it again. Much as I love one-dish meals with pinto beans -- we have great local pintos which I pressure can, this recipe just doesn't make the cut. I made it with only two substitutions: chicken stock instead of water, and semi-sweet chocolate instead of unsweetened. It's definitely better the second day, when the spices have melded, but still is lacking something. The pan sauce is too watery; it's calling out for something fatty and unctuous to bind things together. Were I to try it again, I might add bacon -- reserved for a topping -- and use some of the fat to saute the onion, instead of olive oil. I also might use collards instead of kale.

Made the recipe fairly accurately, though I cooked my own beans and added ground turkey and pumpkin instead of zukes to the onion/spice mixture. I like it -- including the subtle orange and chocolate notes -- but there's something missing...I wish I could put my finger on it.

The pumpkin is a great addition, I used black beans instead of pinto and added quinoa. After making this myself, I have a few comments. For beginning/amateur cooks re: too watery. It's a good rule of thumb to never add 'water' to soups. Always use veggie stock or something with more flavor (chicken stock if you are not vegetarian, beef stock or V8 juice). More importantly, with this recipe (and others like it in the future) add water ONLY if you need it.
If your soup is too watery, let it sit overnight--especially with bean dishes, they will always soak up the water. If it is still too watery, you can put 1/8-1/4 of the soup into a blender or food processor, puree, then add back to the rest of the soup. This will help to thicken it up without changing the flavor.
For more seasoned cooks, re: mole & flavor. This recipe could either be very cool or very strange. I understand all of the mixed reviews and made a few changes in my approach. If you are feeling adventurous :)...make the mole on the side and add it at the end. Cut seeded chile with scissors and add to 1/2 cup of water in skillet with seeds, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup golden raisins, anise seeds or star anise, 2-3 cloves and cinnamon. Simmer on low and continue to stir for 3-5 minutes. Add to blender with 1/2 can tomatoes + all of the juice. Add water if necessary to puree all of this mixture. Return to pan and add chocolate, salt, pepper & sugar to taste. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of mole sauce to finished soup to taste. Add grated orange peel to taste. This turned out beautifully!

This is such a good, smoky, well balanced vegetarian chili. I add pumpkin instead of zucchini, which I think is a better fit with the chocolate. I also squeeze in the juice from the orange. Nobody who has tried it has walked away from a spoonful yet.

I've been making
this chili since the
recipe was published
in November 2007 --
and my husband and I
love it. It does
matter that you use
fresh spices and
good quality
peppers. If you
don't like kale,
then maybe steer
clear. But if you
haven't tried enough
kale to know if you
like it or not, this
is a great starter
recipe! The orange +
chocolate is a great
flavor combination,
and balances the
bitter greens so
well.

This was just awful. Rarely do I go to the trouble of
reviewing a recipe, but I would like to save others
from the trouble of making this. It was weirdly bitter from the unsweetened chocolate. The orange zest also did not marry well with the other flavors. All in all, a big disappointment.